The Model Sister
by adi-dion
Summary: Regina and Zelena are closely bonded since a young age. As the older one, Regina has taken her life into her own hands and became a doctor. Zelena has had a tougher time, aspiring into modeling and working in a secretary job for an unfriendly businessman. But despite their closeness, there are insecurities and secrets they've yet to share with each other. Written w/ solarlunarxiii.
1. The Quiet

**Notes** : This fic is set in a Land Without Magic AU where the characters were born in the real world and lived lives like the rest of us. Also, Regina is the older sister and Zelena is a few years younger. This is a collaborative fic, switching POVs between Regina and Zelena as separated by a horizontal line. Regina's parts are written by adi-dion and Zelena's written by solarlunarxiii. Includes pieces of established _Outlaw Queen_ in later chapters.

 **Trigger warnings:** Rated M for mentions of alcoholism; grief.

This fic was inspired by a "Land Without Magic" AU roleplayed by the Tumblr group onceuponanask. Both authors are admins of the group, if you're interested, check us out!

Big thanks to SinginPrincess for proofreading this chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Quiet**

It had been half an hour since anyone spoke. Long, torturous thirty minutes of total silence, in which the ticking of the clock never sounded so loud before.

Dr. Hopper was patient, even more than Regina could hope for, and perhaps she should have appreciated it, but it only irked her instead.

 _He's only doing his job_ , she tried to reason with herself.

"Would you like something to drink?" his sickeningly calm tone broke the silence.

She didn't reply, though. Completely ignoring the man's question and making no sign to even acknowledge having another soul in the room with her.

Thankfully, he didn't bother to repeat the question. With a frustrated sigh, he slowly rose from his seat on the opposite couch and took his leave, closing the door behind him on his way out.

Regina breathed a sigh of relief, one she hadn't realized she was holding.

She hated it. She hated being stuck inside these four walls, and this was only the _first_ week. Possibly the first one of many more to come.

She wasn't exactly the most cooperative of patients, Regina was very much aware of this fact, but she was also certain, beyond any doubt, that it was a waste of time.

Her boss, however, felt otherwise and banned her from handling any major calls and operations until she got the hospital psychiatrist's approval to be back on track. All because of _one_ incident that she was currently trying (and miserably failing) to put behind her.

Sinking back into the couch, Regina covered her growing bump with her palm and simply tried to savor this rare moment of peace with her therapist out of sight.

That moment didn't last as long as she hoped. Her eyes quickly fell on a small journal that was left unattended on the desk in front of her, one which must be filled with her therapist's notes. Impulsive as Regina was, the woman pushed herself off the couch and made a quick move to get a hold of the leathered book.

Pages of handwritten notes all hit her at once, it was too much to take in. She hasn't spoken a word to the therapist, absolutely refused to share any further details about the case which sent her into his office. _How_ the hell did he write that much during his unfruitful efforts to make her talk?

Her head was spinning as her mind raced in a massive speed, trying to make sense of the words and sentences that popped above the others: _Possible strong sense of denial_. _Closed-off_. _Patient has no grasp of the severity of the situation_...

 _God_. It made her sound like a complete lunatic. A tear ran down Regina's cheek as her eyes kept scanning the damn pages of words that tried to analyze her.

The cracking sound of the door startled her and Regina quickly turned to face the therapist, who seemed slightly too satisfied at her decision to finally acknowledge his presence.

Looking straight into his eyes, Regina's voice was filled with rage when she reached a breaking point, her eyes showing nothing but anger as realization dawned on her.

"You wanted me to see this, didn't you?"

"Regina—"

"I've told you before, I am _not_ a fucking psycho!" She snapped.

Dr. Hopper took a few steps in her direction, the sound of his shoes squeaking on the tiled floor nearly raised above his calm whisper. "I am only here to do my job," he simply offered in reply.

"And I have to do mine!" Regina shot back. "Stop trying to psychoanalyze me, and let me go back out there!"

"You know I cannot do that. Not yet."

She huffed her frustration at his words and started pacing around the table before sinking back into the couch, closing her eyes in an attempt to settle her nerves. _Stress is not good for your baby, Regina._

"Look," he muttered, taking his place in front of her again. "I am not the enemy, Regina. Right now, I believe your worst enemy is _yourself_."

She felt trapped. As if the walls began to close in on her and breathing was no longer an easy task to follow.

"You cannot shut it off forever," Dr. Hopper continued. "We both know what happened. I can't even begin to imagine how hard it is on you, but the sooner you're willing to accept my help and open up, the sooner we can get these sessions over with."

Regina fell quiet at this. She took deep breaths and a few moments to herself before the inevitable truth hit her.

He was right, there was no going around the subject any longer. If she wanted a chance to go back to work anytime soon, she had to start talking whether she liked it or not.

"Tell me about what happened, Regina," Dr. Hopper ventured and finally voiced aloud.

"You _know_ what happened."

"And how does it make you feel?"

She laughed at the absurdity of that; slamming her hand against the couch with a loud _thud_ , Regina gave the man a glare.

"I've been a doctor for six years and I have _never_ lost a soul before."

"That's not entirely true though, is it?"

If Dr. Hopper was trying to make her lose her mind, Regina thought he was doing a pretty good job so far.

"I have had patients _die_ before, but I've never _lost_ one. Not like this." She struggled to keep her voice and emotions at bay. "How do you _think_ it makes me feel?"

The man was not fazed by her outburst, he didn't even seem surprised at her sudden show of anger, but he lowered his head in an attempt to avoid her gaze before he reached for his notebook.

Regina didn't even bother to consider her next words.

"If you write down that I have anger management issues, _I swear_ _—_ "

 _That_ seemed to startle him as her therapist dropped the book back on the table, offering an apologetic glance which was followed by a quiet murmur of _alright_ in reply.

Another loaded silence filled the room but at the same time, there was something soothing about it. In a span of minutes, Regina broke the walls she tried so hard to build around her since the incident. It was almost liberating to let it out and reveal how she _truly_ felt, without having to prove to anyone she was doing fine. Because the truth was— she wasn't.

She exhaled deeply, trying to regain composure and put all anger aside. If she was being honest with herself, therapy was the best idea her boss could have suggested. This whole experience took a great toll on her, one Regina would have to learn to live with and put behind her. And right now, she had no idea how to do that.

"I'm sorry," she breathed out, finding a bit of comfort at the feeling of her growing baby moving inside her. _Hormones_ , she thought. _She could always blame the hormones_.

"No harm done," was all he replied.

In an attempt to lighten the mood a few moments later, Dr. Hopper placed a cup of tea in front of her. "Peace offer?"

Regina cracked a small smile. "Thank you."

She reached for the mug when he brought them back to the subject. "Have you told anyone outside the hospital?" he asked. "Your husband...?"

"Fiancé," she corrected, taking a sip of her hot drink. "Robin knows what happened, but… no one else does. Not even my sister."

"Your sister? Are you two close?"

"Very," she nodded.

"Why haven't you told her?"

"It's—it's been... hectic, lately." Her voice wavered and Regina dropped her gaze, swallowing as she stumbled over her words. It wasn't a complete lie, but it was much more than that.

As it seemed, avoidance wasn't her best way out this time. The therapist cleared his throat, clearly unconvinced. He didn't have to say a word for her to know he was waiting to hear what the _real_ issue was.

Regina stared at the cup in her hands for a long moment, trying for the first time to really answer the question she's been avoiding.

"She's my little sister," she said absentmindedly. "I can't disappoint her. Not again…"

Her voice was heavy with emotions as Regina realized where the answer lead her. It's been a long time since she spoke about the darkest time in her past. She wasn't ready to relive it again.

Dr. Hopper's patience proved itself once again, as he must have noticed the anxiety seeping in and didn't push for any details. With ragged breaths, Regina placed her cup on the table before she finally met his eyes, politely pleading to excuse herself in favor of a lunch date with her sister.

Regina had never felt more relieved than the moment she felt the chilly winter wind engulfing her.

* * *

It had been two whole glorious minutes since somebody _didn't_ say something. And by say something, it was more that the precious silence of the room was broken by somebody snorting their snot or coughing up some black ash from the cigarette ashtray in their throats. Zelena had no idea how she'd even gotten to this place, as if her broken memory wasn't bad enough, she had no clue what must have pushed her over the edge so much that she'd come crawling _here_ to the Storybrooke rec-center.

Everybody in the room was sitting in a polite circle. One by one they were drooling on and on about their dynamic lives, and Zelena was sitting with her arms crossed listening to every single one of them and fall asleep through all of it.

Then, so startling it was like a man running in with a gun, a man next to Zelena turned to her and said softly, "…Would you like to share next, newbie?"

 _Crap_ , Zelena thought to herself, did she really have to? She could say she wanted to pass, but everybody was staring at her now like she had just stood up on her chair and started making a speech.

Thinking quickly, she just said the first, obvious words that came to her mind.

"…Hi, I'm Zelena, and I'm an alcoholic."

She said it, though not fully admitting to it.

"Hi, Zelena," they said back.

This was embarrassing. Zelena couldn't believe, after everything she'd accomplished, after all the high marks and awards she had won in school and beyond, here she was—in a community center, in a dimly lit room, surrounded by members of _Alcoholics Anonymous_. This was a new low.

But, nevertheless, here she was. And everybody in the room was sitting, calmly, staring at her, waiting for her to say something. This was not something she was prepared for.

"Um…" she croaked, clearing her throat, "Yeah, so…never been to one of these before. Truth be told, I'm…not really sure why I came. To be honest, I'm mildly surprised Storybrooke even has enough people to hold one of these."

Everyone in the room was keeping the exact same look on their face. Zelena realized she was rambling, which was likely a nervous thing, in part due to the situation but mostly because she just really _really_ needed a drink.

"—Anyway," Zelena mumbled, changing subjects, "This is all pretty strange to me. If you had told me when I graduated high school at the top of my class that I'd be sitting here, a starving, poor, drunken waste of an _aspiring_ _model_ , I'd probably just laugh at you. But that's my life. Doesn't get any better than that."

Some of the faces in the room changed to a more serious tone, whilst staring at Zelena with curious eyes. Others were falling asleep. But that just made Zelena more comfortable talking.

She kept going, "Truth be told, I don't know where my life got off track. Probably the day I was _stupid_ enough to think I could ever be pretty enough to be a model. I should have just left those old Vogue magazines under my pillow where they belonged. But _noo_ , I had to chase them all the way to _New York City_ , with 250 dollars and a head full of dreams."

Zelena started distancing herself from what she was saying. In her mind, she fixated on one single spot on the wall and just slipped into a lingering sadness that consumed her. "But…now it's too late. Or…at least it feels like it. I mean, all I want to do is drink. My manager never has any jobs for me. Not like he even tries. I'd fire him but I can't even afford him as it is.

"..and then my boss, who's also my landlord, who's also the only reason I'm not _homeless_ , is constantly calling me to remind him about meetings and send rude emails in his stead, and I still—all I want to do is drink. Drink, drink, drink. I'm surprised there's even any water left in my bloodstream from all the vodka-cranberries I've chugged."

She was rambling, and she knew it, but Zelena was at the point where she could hardly acknowledge what was coming out of her own mouth anymore. Going off into her own personal zone, Zelena just decided to blank out all the other people in the room and pretend she was talking to a bathroom mirror. She was past the point of caring what these people thought about her. She was probably never going to see any of them again, anyway.

"There's also…my sister," Zelena said more quietly, looking down at her heeled shoes. "She…well, she's amazing, actually. The perfect older sister. Our mother always saw the best in her, and when she went off to medical school it was like she could do no wrong. Never mind me doing my best and getting all the good grades to try and impress her, oh no, it was always 'why can't you act more like your sister, Zelena' and 'you can do more good in the world than being a model, Zelena'. But you know, I have dreams too! And just because Regina is all perfect and amazing, I—"

 _DING_.

A little buzzer went off, which as they said at the beginning of the meeting, meant that your time was up. She had only enough time to wrap up the thought she had, and then she had to be quiet.

But that wasn't what Zelena was going to do.

"Right," she said tapping both her knees with her hands, "Well, I know you're supposed to stay a little bit after these meetings for coffee and small talk, but I really don't want anyone to know that I'm here, and I _really_ don't want to sit in this chair any longer because I'm not sure why I came in the first place."

A man sitting next to Zelena with a bald held holding his black beanie interrupted in a low voice, "Uhh, sister, you can finish what you were saying, the beep don't really mean—"

"—It's fine, it's fine," Zelena tried to say as politely as she could, while also getting up out of her seat and getting her purse together. She realized she was making a scene, but she couldn't help it. "No, I'm just going to leave."

Another face in the circle spoke up, "Please stay, we go out to coffee afterwards, and—"

"—No thanks", Zelena interjected, now halfway out the door, "No, sorry, just pretend I wasn't here. If any of you want to hang out I'll be at Ella's bar drinking myself into a stupor. Bye"

Without looking back, Zelena continued walking out the double doors and into the cold Storybrooke winter, not looking back. She'd rather dunk her head into a pot of molasses than try and make that situation any less awkward than it already was. She wasn't even sure why she went in the first place.

Though the feeling of embarrassment was nothing new to Zelena, this time she felt particularly horrible. She'd just rambled to a group of strangers about things she'd never even admitted to herself. If it hadn't been her poor choice to go to the meeting she'd almost feel emotionally violated, like someone had read her diary. But even still, Zelena was able to shake off the annoyingness of her feelings and shove them back into the closet of her mind where they belonged.

Then, her purse started to vibrate, twice. One was her personal phone, which was a flip phone, and the other was an expensive top of the line Galaxy that was her work phone—supplied and paid for by her boss, Mr. Gold. As expected, both of them were the exact same message, from the exact same person. Swiping her smart phone, she read the message:

" _Ms. Mills, I hope you are enjoying your day off. In your time, please E-Mail the diner about their rent owed once more, before business hours are over._

 _Warm regards, GOLD_."

Zelena just rolled her eyes, completely un-phased by texts like this on her day off. She made it a small note to send the email whenever she got around to it. Hopefully in time enough for Gold not to hire an assassin to murder her first for her incompetence.

Pulling out her small, cheap, flip-phone, Zelena flung it open to close the duplicate message and saw the wallpaper of her and her sister, Regina, hugging and taking a selfie from last Christmas. She smiled, despite just previously ranting about her big sister to a group of strangers. Part of her felt guilty, because she didn't think all of the inner turmoil about Regina would come out of her so suddenly, and almost wished she hadn't said anything. But hindsight was 20-20.

To make her guilt even worse, Zelena was due for a lunch date with her sister they'd been planning for a couple days. She didn't want to think any more about all the things she'd just said, so she just shook it off and continued walking. And that would be it, because she never wanted to bring up any of those horribly selfish feelings ever again.


	2. Lunch

Thank you, SinginPrincess and Brett, for proofreading this chapter!

* * *

She was running late.

A lunch date with her sister was the last thing Regina wanted right now. The session with Dr. Hopper wore her out emotionally, and she still had to make a stop at the hospital before lunch. Dr. Whale may have banned her from treating her patients, but nothing stopped her from paying them daily visits. Making sure they were taken care of was something Regina was not willing to compromise on. At least, her boss seemed to be on the same page as her on that matter.

It was barely even afternoon when she left the city and _God_ , she was already _exhausted_.

Guilt gnawed at her as the thought of bailing on lunch crossed her mind. Between work, wedding plans, and a baby on the way, scheduling time to meet with her sister was never this difficult, and she missed Zelena terribly.

As much as Regina would've loved nothing more than to take an afternoon off to herself before Robin returned home with Roland, she knew this time alone would never bring the peace she was desperately looking for—it would only cause her to drown in her own misery and relive recent events she would rather forget.

Taking a break from the mess that was her life was what Regina really needed. Spending the afternoon with Zelena meant she could pretend, even if for a bit, that everything was normal.

Traffic hadn't been too kind to her today. When Regina finally arrived to town, she parked her Mercedes at home and made her way down the main street as Granny's diner came into sight. Rushing in, the small ( _annoying_ ) bell chimed in her ears as Regina's eyes scanned the room for her sister, only to find out she hadn't arrived yet.

"Oh, _thank God,_ " she breathed as she entered the diner and claimed their favourite spot at the back of the room.

Regina glanced at her phone to check the time, smiling as the faces of two of her favourite men appeared on the lock screen. It was a precious father and son moment she captured last Christmas.

Meanwhile, Zelena's calm stroll through the street turned into a brisk winter jog when she realized what time it was. Thankfully she decided to leave the meeting early, because if she didn't, she would have left her sister sitting at the diner for who knows how long. Knowing Regina, Zelena figured she had probably already arrived, ordered tea, and stared at her phone incessantly worrying about when she could go back to work.

It was times like these that Zelena was thankful she lived in a small town. She didn't have to deal with the stress of getting stuck in traffic or icy winter roads being blocked from entry. But still she was _late_. It was frustrating, because if there was one person she wanted to impress and show that she was being a responsible adult, it was her big sister. And that was happening.

When she got to Granny's, she didn't even bother taking off her jacket. As she entered the front door, she bolted straight over to the table where she saw Regina sitting, her back facing the front. She felt horrible that Regina was already there, and immediately started vomiting her excuses,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, t-there…there was a—phone call—video call—"

Having just sat down herself, Regina tore her gaze away from her phone as she heard the familiar voice, raising an eyebrow at her sister.

Zelena shook her head from side to side and just decided to drop it. "You know what, never mind! Hi! How are you?"

Signaling Regina to get up from her seat, the two embraced each other in a friendly hug that made everything feel better. After the less than wonderful day both of them had, just being reunited after an extended break of busyness was all they needed. Hopefully... it was going to last.

Indulging in the momentary comfort of her sister's embrace before separating, Regina knew she'd made the right decision to see Zelena. She was happy to see her sister, and it quickly took her mind off everything.

"You're never late without notice," Regina announced as they took a seat across from each other. To be fair, neither of them were late without a quick text or phone call, and _she_ just arrived herself, but Zelena didn't need to know that. Even if it made her sister feel bad for thinking she'd been waiting for a good long while. The less she talked about her hell of a day, the better. Regina wasn't ready for her to know what happened lately. Not yet.

"What was so important that couldn't wait?" she inquired, trying to avert the conversation to anything but her own well-being.

Before Zelena could say another word, a waitress danced her way to their table. She was a young girl, with well trimmed red highlights in her black hair that made it pop. She looked busier than a worker bee, but her smile didn't waver.

"Regina! Did you just get in? Didn't see you there!"

 _So much for covering up her late arrival_ , Regina thought to herself.

Zelena had a moment where she almost caught her sister's bluff, but judging by Regina's adamant expression, it was clear to her that there would be some kind of excuse.

Regina cleared her throat, trying not to look at Zelena before addressing the other woman. "It's pretty hard to miss me these days, Ruby. Perhaps you should get your eyes checked."

The young girl stood still as she glanced down at Regina's growing belly, looking terrified.

"Oh. I—" she stuttered.

"Ruby, it's _fine_. I'm joking." _Or was she…?_ Regina was definitely not in the mood for jokes right now, but she didn't mean to scare the poor girl.

Zelena felt slightly awkward by how the waitress had responded to Regina's attempt at a joke, but she knew her sister pretty well and that it was just something you had to grow to appreciate. Zelena remembered when Regina first told her she was pregnant, she said that she was going to have to leave work for nine months due to an unfortunate medical condition she had contracted from Robin. Zelena almost had a heart attack before she learned she was kidding.

"Right…" the waitress chuckled, attempting to lighten the mood again. "Can I get you anything?"

All three women seemed relieved at the change of topic, and both sisters quickly placed their orders. Zelena ordered a cheeseburger with a side of onion rings, which were her favorite, while Regina settled on a salad plate with cooked chicken. It didn't take long before they were both forced to sit and talk.

Zelena didn't know what to say at first. While she was sure her sister probably had loads of happy news to tell her, the only thing Zelena had to declare was inevitable bankruptcy. Hoping to avoid the subject, she just jumped right to talking about Regina, which was much easier.

"So," she asked her big sister, "How's the baby? How's Robin? Tell me everything, it's been too long."

"Too long indeed," Regina agreed, shoving her phone back into her purse (after all, no one would call her back into work for an emergency). "The baby is doing great," she smiled, "Robin is juggling between work, fussing over my well-being and making sure the baby's room will be ready on time.

"He still insists it's a girl," she shot with a playful eye roll. They'd probably never agree on the sex until the baby's arrival.

Regina had no filter. She just had to keep talking if she wanted to avoid the bigger issues.

So she went on.

"And Henry decided he wanted a dog. _A dog_! I swear, Emma nearly had a heart attack! Now all Roland talks about is having a puppy for _his_ birthday." She finally paused and huffed out a breath.

As if life hadn't turned complicated enough lately, her stepson became another concern. "We're _doomed_ ," she whispered. They couldn't possibly afford having a dog, not with a baby on the way, and certainly not with crazy work schedules. Even though Regina wanted to give Roland the universe, she slowly began to realize they'd have to let him down.

Zelena chuckled, "Well, knowing Roland, I'm sure he's not going to drop it until he gets it. Maybe auntie Zelena will just have to get it for him, so I can stay on his good side."

She smiled, but Zelena knew she could never do that. She couldn't even afford to buy a dog _collar_.

"Yeah, I'd rather take care of one needy creature at a time, thank you," Regina gently warned, dismissing her sister's offer even though she knew Zelena was only joking. "Roland loves you with or without a fluffy bribe."

Zelena messed awkwardly with her hair and stared at the salt shaker on the table. "I hope so..."

It still stung, because Zelena loved her nephew a lot, and it always bothered her that she couldn't do more fun things with him. More than a few times she'd pick him up from school and get pizza, sometimes even before school was out, just to make him happy.

Continuing her attempt to distract the conversation from herself, Zelena asked another question. "I haven't seen Emma in forever. How is she doing?"

Regina cheered up at the opportunity to drop yet another sore subject and update Zelena with the latest news about her best friend.

"She's good. Still running around after those punks, and still the same hardcore, badass Emma Swan you remember."

For the first time today— for the first time in a long while actually— Regina managed to wear a genuine grin.

"And…" raising an eyebrow, she leaned forward against the table. "I think she's dating someone."

"You're kidding!" Zelena gasped, leaning further into the table, hungry for the juicy gossip. "Well good for her! She deserves it after all the crap she's been through, that's for sure."

And she did deserve it. Emma Swan's relationship record was never a very positive one. Over the years they've known the woman, the only relationship she was ever fully invested in was the one with her son, Henry. There was no place for romance—not since her high school boyfriend left after finding out Emma was carrying his baby.

That was when Regina entered the blonde's life and became the first person who truly had faith in her. Together, they pulled through high school and the many challenges life had thrown at them.

Regina knew close to nothing about this mysterious new guy, but even though her friend had yet to share the news, she could tell Emma was acting like a smitten teenager. And if someone managed to break through her shell, Regina could only hope her closest friend finally managed to find herself her own Robin.

"But at any rate, I'm glad things are going good for you," Zelena grinned at her big sister. "And it won't be long now until you're a new mommy!"

With another smile, Regina bit her lip. "I know," she murmured as her baby, right on cue, made itself known with a slight kick.

"It's becoming too real now," Regina anxiously confessed as Ruby interrupted her train of thoughts by placing their food on the table.

"Thanks," Regina said plainly when she looked at her meal.

"How are you not craving a giant hamburger right now? I'd use being pregnant as an excuse to eat twelve," Zelena asked jokingly, digging herself first and foremost into the thick and delicious beer battered onion rings.

Regina snorted with laughter as she watched her little sister gorge on her food.

"That's because you have the appetite of a child," she noted, shaking her head with a grin while taking a forkful of fresh vegetables.

The two sisters enjoyed lunch mostly in peace, with occasional side joke and memory of the old days when they were young. Though both of them had pressing issues on their mind, the only hot topic either of them felt like diving into was whether or not their mother was ever going to date again.

With full bellies (literally for Regina), and after Zelena had ordered a giant slice of chocolate cake, they sat back and relaxed. They successfully avoided their problems thus far, in favor of some quality sisterly bonding time.

"So…" Regina finished her glass of water and placed it down before turning to Zelena again. "How are you doing, Sis?" she curiously asked, realizing they were so caught up with little chitchats that she had yet to hear a word about her little sister's life.

Zelena gulped and almost choked on her water when she heard the dreaded words asked by her big sister. Immediately she tried to think of any possible excuse in the book to back out and change the subject, and there was only one way she was going to do that.

 _Alcohol_.

"Um, Ruby?" Zelena said waving her hand in the air slightly.

Ruby turned around awkwardly and looked at Zelena like she'd just been spoken to in a foreign language.

"Yeah. Hi there. Do you make mimosas?" Zelena asked as politely as she could without drawing attention to ordering wine at 1 o'clock in the afternoon.

From another side of the diner, a busy woman with greyed frizzy hair spoke up and echoed through the whole diner. "Do we _really_ look like the kind of place that carries around champagne, lady?"

"I…um, alright. Nevermind, then."

Regina watched the quick exchange between the three women as if she was following a tennis ball bouncing back and forth on court. Her eyes rested on the raven haired girl.

" _Thank you_ , Ruby, that'll be all," she glowered, implying she should go back to her previous engagements in an attempt to take the focus away from their table.

Ruby turned back around to what she was doing, now with the biggest judgemental eyebrow arch plastered all over her face.

Zelena's throat dropped to her stomach. Now all she wanted to do was run to the liquor store and never come back so she could flee this conversation. Immediately, her hand started twitching under the table and she found it difficult on what to say next. All she had on her mind was a drink. She couldn't even remember what Regina had asked her anymore.

" _Mimosas_?" Regina nearly snorted. Zelena never laid a hand on anything stronger than white wine before. Clearly, she knew better than having a drink so early during the day.

The Mills ladies sure had their own sense of humour.

"Am I boring you _that much_ that you're starting to drink now?" she added jokingly.

"N-No!" Zelena stammered. She realized after that she didn't need to be so adamant, but she couldn't help it.

"Well, I really am rather dull these days, don't try to spare me," Regina muttered under her breath. She only wished her life was indeed as dull right now instead of this nightmare she was living.

"Oh, um, it's pretty much the same for me," Zelena lied, feeling embarrassed. "Just the usual, you know, meetings and callbacks and angry manager calls."

Zelena figured the attention had been on her long enough, and she couldn't take the pressure anymore. Even if it wasn't coming from her sister, in her head all Zelena could think was how disappointed Regina was going to be if she knew how bad of a problem her sister had. So she immediately turned it around.

"S-Say," Zelena said, "Why haven't you been checking your phone at all? Work is usually calling you incessantly whenever we get together like this."

"What?" The older sister was taken aback with the question. She glanced at her bag laying on the table and swallowed.

"Oh, I got the rest of the day off—horrible backache. My boss nearly had to throw me out of the hospital and drive me back home himself to make me leave."

She chuckled awkwardly, realizing she had to stop talking _now_ instead of rambling more. Using her baby as an excuse was not the most elegant way out, but Regina's mind was blank. This was her only safe way to avoid the bitter truth and she hoped it would do the trick.

Lucky enough, it did.

Zelena arched her eyebrow, doubting Regina for a moment before brushing it off.

"Well," Zelena attempted to say casually, "That's good. You always seem like you work too much. But I guess the best doctor always has the busiest schedule."

Regina swallowed the lump that quickly formed in her throat. She was toying with her fork, tilting her head down to avoid any eye contact as she mumbled a quick, "Right".

But Zelena couldn't be more wrong. _She was a horrible doctor._ After more than a decade in the field, she made the worst, _terrible_ mistake and she could never take it back.

As they were talking, Zelena couldn't help but continue to stare at her shaking hand and constantly tapping foot. She couldn't brush off the quaking desire deep in her bones to jump behind the counter and start chugging every bottle of cheap beer they had just to quell her nerves. It sucked that talking to her big sister, which was supposed to be a break from her struggles, was now making her more nervous than ever. Especially at the chance Regina was going to catch on that something was wrong. So she had no choice.

"So, um," Zelena cleared her throat, stuttering while cranking her neck to look at the clock on the wall. "I guess I-I probably should get going. My manager is probably blowing up my phone as we speak," Zelena lied, but then remembered a real excuse. "Oh, plus my boss wanted me to do this errand, I think. Right. Yeah. Bummer."

Putting her thoughts to rest, Regina looked up at her sister. It was a strange feeling, having Zelena bail on her when usually _she_ was the one struggling to find the balance between her tight work schedule and family.

"I should get going myself," she nodded. "Get some rest before the boys get home."

Relieved that her sister had an excuse to run off as well, Zelena put both her hands on the table and smiled. "We _really_ should do this more often. Maybe next time you could bring Robin and Roland!"

Even though she said it, Zelena was terrified of the laser visioned eyes that Regina's fiancé possessed. He would probably see straight through Zelena's ruse before she even knew she was putting one on.

"I'd like that. We should definitely do it soon. You're still not off the hook with your bridesmaid's duties; we need you," Regina grinned, covering up for the need to burst and take everything off her chest, letting her sister know _she_ needed her, now more than ever.

Only, she couldn't.

"Yes of course!" Zelena said quickly, which earned her a grateful smile from her sister. "Maybe I can even get a really professional photographer to snap pictures! If I'm lucky I can get him to do it for free."

Zelena waved for the check, but quickly putting her hand down before she made another scene. She had to keep her composure for just a couple more minutes.

"I've got this," Regina muttered as she caught both waitress and diner owner shooting another judgmental glance at Zelena. She reached for her purse and fished out some money, leaving it on the table before they rose up and headed out.

Once outside, the two sisters parted ways with a hug, a quick exchange of " _I love you_ 's" and a promised to talk later and set up another date. A promise they both secretly wanted to break, given the emotional rollercoaster of lies and avoidance they've just been through.

As they walked away from each other, they could feel the distance growing with every single step.

Meeting her sister had never been this hard for Regina. What was supposed to be a breath of fresh air in the middle of a hectic life may have started off on the right foot, but had quickly turned into a burden over her heart. She felt trapped and miserable, because for the first time in her life, her sister couldn't be there for her. And knowing her best friend and biggest supporter was _right there_ but at the same time she wasn't, shattered Regina's heart. She wasn't too keen to experience it again anytime soon.

As for Zelena, she knew Regina could read her like a book, she just hoped this time she could leave a few blank pages to herself. At least she could now do the thing she'd been craving to do all day— _drink_. And she hated herself for it. She felt like the biggest disappointment of a sister that she could possibly be, but that's the way her life was now. Inevitable disappointment. But at least now that she'd put on a successful front to her sister, who now believed everything was just fine, she could retreat to the bar, where she would be able to force herself to believe the same thing.


End file.
